Parallel Redundancy Protocol ("PRP") Bridge For A Single Attached Device

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems for facilitating communications using a parallel redundancy protocol (“PRP”) bridge device are described herein. A PRP bridge device, in one embodiment, includes a first data port in communication with a first network, and a second data port in communication with a second network. Upon receiving a data packet at the first data port, the PRP bridge device is structured to determine whether or not the data packet includes a PRP data tag. If so, then the data packet is discarded. If no PRP data tag is present within the data packet, and a value of an EtherType header of the data packet is one of the values that the PRP bridge is structured to accept, then the PRP bridge device is capable of sending, using the second data port, the data packet to the second network.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, at a first data port of a parallel redundancy protocol (“PRP”) bridge device, a first data packet, the first data port being coupled to a first network;   determining that the first data packet corresponds to a non-PRP data packet; and   sending, using a second data port of the PRP bridge device, the first data packet to a second network coupled to the second data port.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, at the first data port, a second data packet;   determining that the second data packet corresponds to a PRP data packet; and   preventing the second data packet from being sent to the second network.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first network and the second network support PRP network protocols. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining that the first data packet corresponds to the non-PRP data packet comprises:
 determining an absence of a PRP data tag within the first data packet.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, prior to determining that the first data packet corresponds to the non-PRP data packet, that the first data packet comprises a virtual local area network (“VLAN”) tagged frame; and   causing the VLAN tagged frame to be skipped.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, prior to determining that the first data packet corresponds to the non-PRP data packet, an absence of a virtual local area network (“VLAN”) tagged frame within the first data packet; and   determining that an Ethertype of the first data packet comprises one of a list of protocols capable of being forwarded.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the list of protocols comprises at least IPv4, ARP, IPv6, and RARP. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the first data packet comprises:
 receiving the first Data packet from a single access device coupled to the first network based, at least in part, an absence of a PRP data tag for the first data packet.   
     
     
         9 . A parallel redundancy protocol (“PRP”) bridge device, comprising:
 a first data port coupled to a first network; 
 a second data port coupled to a second network; 
 memory; and 
 at least one processor operable to:
 determine that a first data packet was received by the first data port; 
 determine that the first data packet corresponds to a non-PRP data packet; 
 cause the second data port to send the first data packet to the second network. 
 
 
     
     
         10 . The PRP bridge device of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is further operable to:
 determine that a second data packet was received by the first data port;   determine that the second data packet corresponds to a PRP data packet; and   prevent the second data packet from being sent to the second network.   
     
     
         11 . The PRP bridge device of  claim 9 , wherein the first network and the second network support PRP network protocols. 
     
     
         12 . The PRP bridge device of  claim 9 , wherein the first data packet being determined to correspond to the non-PRP data packet comprises the at least one processor being further operable to:
 determine that there is an absence of a PRP data tag within the first data packet.   
     
     
         13 . The PRP bridge device of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is further operable to:
 determine, prior to the first data packet being determined to correspond to the non-PRP data packet, that the first data packet comprises a virtual local area network (“VLAN”) tagged frame; and   cause the VLAN tag to be skipped.   
     
     
         14 . The PRP bridge device of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is further operable to:
 determine, prior to the first data packet being determined to correspond to the non-PRP data packet, that there is an absence of a virtual local area network (“VLAN”) tagged frame within the first data packet; and   determine that an Ethertype of the first data packet comprises one of a list of protocols.   
     
     
         15 . The PRP bridge device of  claim 14 , wherein the list of protocols comprises at least IPv4, ARP, IPv6, and RARP. 
     
     
         16 . The PRP bridge device of  claim 9 , wherein the first data packet being received comprises the at least one processor being further operable to:
 receive the first data packet from a single access device coupled to the first network based, at least in part, an absence of a PRP data tag for the first data packet.   
     
     
         17 . A system, comprising:
 a first network comprising at least a first single attached device;   a second network comprising at least a second single attached device; and   a parallel redundancy protocol (“PRP”) bridge device structured to:
 receive, at a first data port of the PRP bridge device, a first Data packet, the first data port being coupled to the first network; 
 determine that the first data packet corresponds to a non-PRP data packet; and 
 cause, using a second data port of the PRP bridge device, the first data packet to be sent to the second network. 
   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the first data packet being determined to correspond to the non-PRP data packet comprises the PRP bridge device being further structured to:
 determine that there is an absence of a PRP data tag within the first data packet.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the PRP bridge device is further structured to:
 determine, prior to the first data packet being determined to correspond to the non-PRP data packet, that the first data packet comprises a virtual local area network (“VLAN”) tagged frame; and   cause the VLAN tag to be skipped.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the PRP bridge device is further structured to:
 determine, prior to the first data packet being determined to correspond to the non-PRP data packet, an absence of a virtual local area network (“VLAN”) tagged frame within the first data packet; and
 determine that an Ethertype of the first data packet comprises one of a list of protocols comprising at least IPv4, ARP, IPv6, and RARP.